Flow Field and Pressure Measurements in a 61-Pin Wire-Wrapped Bundle
Texas A and M University is conducting isothermal flow tests in a wire-wrapped, 61-pin hexagonal fuel bundle to support the research on advanced nuclear fuel development sponsored by the Department of Energy (DOE). The purpose of these tests is to produce high spatial- and temporal-resolution measurements of the flow and pressure measurements at different locations of the test bundle. The data resulting from these tests will be used to benchmark numerical simulations of the experiments using both industry-standard Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) based Computation Fluid Dynamics (CFD) methods and a highly resolved Large Eddy Simulation (LES) computer code. This article described the main features of the experimental facility, its capabilities in producing experimental data of pressure drop and velocity fields at different axial locations and within different exterior and interior sub-channels, using advanced flow visualization techniques. Examples of experimental data outputs and typical locations of the measurements that will included in the research scope are also shown in this article. (authors)